


Don't steal my thunder (be my sunshine)

by BooksandKpop



Series: Soft Fics 9: Every SF9 Pairing (OT2) [25]
Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Lead (Fe)Male! Taeyang, Lead Male! Rowoon, M/M, Theatre Students AU, Vocal Line, enemies (?) to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-08-25 15:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16663684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksandKpop/pseuds/BooksandKpop
Summary: When the female lead doesn't show up on opening night and both her understudies can't fill in it's bound to be a disaster, right? Well, as they say in the theatre - the show must go on.Even if it's with someone else's understudy taking the spotlight.





	Don't steal my thunder (be my sunshine)

"What do you mean she's not here? Where the hell is she then?"

 

Rowoon winced at the volume of their director's voice as it carried all the way from the stage to his dressing room. It was opening night for their new play and everyone was already under a lot of pressure to do well, so whatever was going on could not have come at a worse time. There was more yelling and then words he couldn't make out before an uneasy silence settled over the small theatre. The students who were working as hair, makeup and costume for the show all exchanged worried looks before trying to get back to work. Before he could ask anything, the director burst into the room.

 

"Rowoon, meeting - now."

 

He was not a man to be argued with and so the tall lead scrambled to his feet and rushed out the door after the furious man. They ended up in the small office space that he used as his centre of operations and in here the tension only got worse. It took a minute and a few stressed breaths before the man opposite him could speak.

 

"Sejeong is MIA. No one can get her on her cell and her parents say she left home well over an hour ago to come here. I have three girls out looking for her, but the doors open in ninety minutes and we can't risk not having our lead female for opening night."

"What about her understudy, Nayoung? Why can't she fill in?"

"Nayoung is currently in A and E with a potentially fractured collarbone. And Soyee is on the other side of the country so don't even ask."

"Well then, what are we going to do?"

"I have a solution, but you're not going to like it."

 

There wasn't a long list of things that Rowoon didn't like. He didn't like being woken up only ten minutes before his alarm or when his roommates finish the ice-cream and don't replace it. Other things include the feeling of your sock sliding off in your shoe, overcooked vegetables with no taste and dirty shoes on his clean floors. So his mind immediately was conjuring up the worst possible situation for the moment.

 

"Your understudy, Taeyang, he knows all the female parts since he worked closely with Sejeong on the choreo for a lot of her solo scenes and obviously knows the lines in your scenes together. He is on his way in. You'll have to change some pronouns but we think it can work."

 

Rowoon was confused. Why would the director assume he wouldn't like the idea of playing opposite Taeyang? The younger boy was a fantastic actor and if he knew all the lines there shouldn't be a problem. Sure some of the patrons who were expecting a typical romantic pairing might be a little shocked but it should be good for their opening night reviews at least. And changing pronouns wouldn't be all that hard, the female lead's name was Alex so that could easily be passed off as a guys name and the most intimate they got was a slow dance and a hinted kiss as the curtain closed at the end.

 

"Oh, that should work fine. Taeyang will do a great job I'm sure."

"I know it's not ideal but you just have to deal with it for tonight and hopefully we will either have found Sejeong or Soyee will be back for tomorrow night's show."

"That's no problem chief. I'll go back and let the girls in costume know so they can make sure they have costumes to fit him since I assume you won't want him in a dress."

"Yeah, that would be great - thanks for being so calm about this."

"I mean, the show must go on right?"

 

The director shot him a confused look but nodded anyway and ushered him out of the room so he could work out some more of the smaller details. In his mind, Rowoon was hyper scanning through his script to see if there was anywhere he might be likely to slip up with gendered pronouns. He was so occupied with it he almost didn't notice the blonde student walking towards him. Almost.

 

"Rowoon! Hi, sorry am I distracting you? Oh no, sorry I just - I'll go find the director."

"No no, Taeyang it's fine. I actually have to bring you to the girls in wardrobe asap so we can make sure you have fitting costumes for the show tonight."

"Right, yeah of course. Thank you. And, um - I'm sorry about this whole mess."

"It wasn't your fault our lead got stage fright and understudies are out of action. I know you'll do great so there's nothing to worry about."

 

He shot the younger student the most encouraging smile he could muster before placing a hand on his shoulder and leading him to the dressing rooms. Vaguely he registered some of the stagehands whispering around them but paid it no mind. They probably were all getting earfuls from the director to make sure everything else would run as smooth as they could get it. When the pair walked through the door of the dressing room Sally dropped the eyeshadow pallet she was holding as she did Inseong's makeup. The chatter in the room completely stopped as they regarded the two males in the doorway.

 

"Our female lead is missing and her two understudies can't fill in. So, Taeyang is going to play Alex for tonight. Hana, do you think we have any costumes that will work instead of Sejeong's dresses?"

 

The head of wardrobe stared at him wide-eyed for a moment before snapping out of it and immediately getting to work. She grabbed Taeyang by the wrist and whisked him to the back of the room murmuring under her breath the whole time. Everyone else kept looking at Rowoon like he had two heads, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly wondering what this weird atmosphere was about. Sure this was a big shock, but theatre students generally were well equipped for situations like this. 

 

"So, umm, it's seventy-five minutes to curtain. And I still don't have my hair and makeup done?"

 

Dawon was the one to break the silence, rushing over to the taller male and dragging him towards a free stylist chair. He was Rowoon's other understudy for the play and was playing the dual role of hair stylist and background extra on the nights he didn't have to fill the lead shoes. Which was a blessing, because they had really struggled to find students willing to help out backstage for this production. He closed his eyes and let Dawon work his magic as he continued running through his script in his head.

Soon enough, he had to move over to Sally's chair to get his makeup done as Taeyang took his vacated seat for hair. Twenty minutes until the curtain was due to come up and they got a call to say the theatre doors were opening. Jaeyoon, who was playing the role of the sarcastic best-friend, popped in when they were getting into their first costumes of the night to check on Rowoon. He was actually one of Rowoon's good friends outside of the theatre too and pulled him aside with a poorly concealed urgency.

 

"Are you sure you'll be alright with this? I know it's a lot."

"Why does everyone keeping asking me that? Of course, I'm alright with it - it won't be too hard to change pronouns and if I do make a mistake I have come up with an idea to play it off. Honestly, what is everyone so worried about?"

 

Before the redhead could answer that the director burst into the room demanding to know if everyone was ready. He received an affirmative from everyone, and Hana assured him that they had the costume situation under the control. That seemed to calm his nerves slightly before he spun on his heel and rushed out, probably to start berating the backstage crew about something again. Rowoon rolled his eyes before catching Taeyang's gaze out of the corner of his eye. The younger looked fantastic with his blonde hair styled up away from his forehead and striking eye makeup that made him look rather feline-esque. He smiled at him and got a nervous upturn of his lips in return. 

 

"WHERE ARE MY LEADS?"

 

Everyone in the room winced at the volume of their choreography teachers voice. He may have been small but his voice carried some impact. A head of black hair appeared in the door before gesturing for Rowoon and Taeyang to follow him immediately. If there was one thing Rowoon would never do, it was make Ten wait after he had told them to do something. 

 

"Right, so I know this is all a bit off kilter but we have fifteen minutes to run through your dance scene and make sure it still works."

"Um, what do you m-"

"You're used to dancing with a small, petite female lead in heels - not someone who is only a few centimetres shorter than you and wearing flats. So, we are going to practice. Now."

 

Taeyang moved to stand in front of Rowoon immediately, he obviously had the same sentiments as the taller about making Ten wait for things. The first attempt was awkward, as could be expected. Their choreo teacher was right, of course, it was very different trying to lead someone who obviously was used to being the lead himself. But after a few minutes, they made it work, even if there were one or two minor adjustments to the positioning. Rowoon would have liked to run it once more but there was no time. 

They got their mics in record time and moved to their positions in the right wing. Beside him, Rowoon could feel Taeyang radiating nerves. As his senior, he felt compelled to make sure the younger felt at ease for his first stage performance. So he put a hand gently on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper to him.

 

"I know it's scary, but you're going to do great. Just relax and if you make a mistake play it off. And if you're ever in doubt, just smile. The audience won't even notice."

 

The blonde smiled up at him with a sparkle in his eye and nodded just once. But it was enough for Rowoon, and then - it was time to begin.

 

Everything went about as well as he could have hoped considering they only had an hour and a half of warning. All of Taeyang's costumes looked great and as the play progressed he seemed to be getting more and more comfortable with the character. There was only one slip up on pronouns from Jaeyoon, which Rowoon played off by smacking his friend on the arm and correcting him before continuing as if nothing had happened.

When the half-time curtain fell it was a relief to everyone on stage. Taeyang's face visibly dropped from the mischevious smirk he had been wearing to one of exhaustion. Rowoon just wrapped an arm around the youngers waist and led him off-stage while giving him plenty of praise and reassurance. He had to admit, the blonde had done an amazing job with his lines, even changing a few little things which brought a whole new life to Alex. 

The director was waiting for them backstage and had a constipated look on his face. Everyone was rushing around like crazy to get the stage set for the second half and Rowoon could see Sally and Dawon in the door of the dressing room bouncing anxiously.

 

"Ok, so first half went well. Good job on that save Rowoon. Now, I know the second half is a bit more difficult, but I trust you guys will do your best."

 

And with that he was gone, leaving the pair to be grabbed by others so they could change costumes and get their hair and makeup fixed before the curtain went back up. Rowoon didn't talk much, choosing to save his voice and energy for the stage. Taeyang was equally quiet but kept glancing over at the taller and fiddling with his fingers in the chair. When they were finally ready they still had five minutes to go. The atmosphere in the dressing room was still weird from earlier and so Rowoon chose to go out and take a peek at the audience instead. His blonde partner followed him wordlessly.

They managed to find a good spot where they could peer out from behind the curtain without being spotted. Only one side of the seats was visible but it was enough. It was often quite difficult to determine how an audience took to the performance. There wasn't much time to people watch, unfortunately, but he did manage to spot Inseong's boyfriend Youngbin in the crowd and he had a bright smile on his face as he spoke animatedly to the younger student to his left. Beside him, Taeyang giggled slightly.

 

"What's funny?"

"You see the two students there? The one with longish dark brown hair beside the older student with black hair?"

"Yeah, the one with black hair is my friend, Youngbin."

"Wait, really? The one he's talking to is my roommate, Hwiyoung. He looks so panicked."

"I don't blame him, Youngbin can be a little - overbearing."

 

They couldn't stay much longer, having to go prepare to go back on stage in two minutes. This time, Taeyang was starting on stage and Rowoon would join him later. So he smiled brightly at the younger and let him off. There was a strange feeling in his stomach as he watched the younger student hurry on stage and take his position, but he chalked it up to the adrenaline that always came from performing that was racing through his veins. 

 

The second half started off well too, with no more slip-ups and Taeyang's monologue being very well received thanks to his unique take on the characters motivations. Rowoon was in awe at how easily Taeyang had managed to make Alex a more interesting character with such small changes. If it had been up to him, he would have Taeyang play this role every night. He quickly pushed that thought and all the weird feelings it gave him deep down and put himself into the shoes of Daniel, ready to continue the play to the best of his abilities.

Everything was going well until the dance scene. They had only gotten to practice twice and Rowoon hated to admit it, but he was nervous. Luckily, Taeyang had found his stride and the scene played out better than the original could have tried to.

 

"What's wrong Daniel? Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"

 

It was supposed to be meek and shy, Alex being unsure of her own desire to be with Daniel. But not the way Taeyang had played Alex. Instead, it was teasing and Taeyang had a smirk on his face and a hand on his hip. Rowoon wasn't about to be outdone though. He stepped up to the younger boldly, making sure he was at his full height before putting his hand on the small of the blondes back before leading them into their starting positions. Their movements were not smooth and polished like they should have been, but both actors were ready for it.

 

"Not used to dancing with someone closer to your own height, huh?"

"Actually, it's more that I'm not used to leading someone who isn't good at following."

 

He smiled slyly at the blonde who rolled his eyes as they continued to dance. Rowoon didn't know if that had been visible to the audience, but it certainly felt like it fit well. They managed to finish their dance with only one incident of trodden toes which they both laughed off naturally. When the song ended and they were left standing still in the centre of the stage, just a single spotlight on their joined hands and close proximity, Rowoon realised something. Taeyang shone so brightly he was blinding, and the taller males heart clenched in his chest.

Hurriedly, perhaps quicker than he should have, he let go of Taeyang and took a large step back. He was surely imaging the hurt on the younger boys face. Or not, perhaps this was Taeyang fully immersed in Alex's character and he should be doing the same. Their next lines felt a little stiff, but they got through them and the next scene came upon them rapidly. There were a few filler pieces along with the pairs solo scenes.

It wasn't until the finale when they were both on stage together again, and Rowoon had tried to clear his mind of the emotions that had taken him by surprise. But as soon as he looked Taeyang in the eye again they came back again and he decided that the best thing to do was to roll with it and incorporate them into his performance. And Taeyang must be a much better actor than he was because he delivered every line perfectly, not a hint that he was anything other than focused on being Alex for the final ten minutes of the show.

Finally, it was time for the ending. They were face-to-face, ready for the curtain to close on them and bring the play to an end. All that was left to do was for him to pull Taeyang in and lean down for a kiss. Of course, they didn't actually kiss, the curtain dropped before they needed to do anything. But there was something stopping him. He could see the director in the wings waving his arms frantically, trying to get Rowoon to do something so they could close. After standing in complete silence for two minutes with the audience starting to get antsy, Taeyang took matters into his own hands.

 

"God, I really have to do everything don't I? I should have been the lead."

 

It was sarcastic and teasing and Rowoon only had a second to register what was going on before the blonde grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. The curtain closed to a thunderous applause from the audience but he didn't hear any of it. All he was focused on was the feeling of Taeyang's soft lips pressed against his. His brain was short circuiting and if the contact had lasted a moment longer Rowoon was sure he would have combusted. But fortunately, or maybe it was unfortunately, the younger student broke apart from him and looked up at him with an unsure expression in his eyes. 

Before he could say or do anything he was pulled backwards and into a bruising hug by Jaeyoon and Inseong, yelling and congratulating him on a successful opening night. They all lined up and he was joining hands with Taeyang so they could take their bow as the curtain raised again. This time, Rowoon could hear the cheers and claps from the packed theatre. He briefly caught Youngbin's eye who cat whistled for him. And then the curtain came down again and it was over.

 

The aftermath of the show was a bit of a blur. He floated through taking his mic off, getting his makeup removed and changing back into regular clothes. There was a flurry of congratulations and pats on the back and glowing praise from the director. It wasn't until Dawon pulled him out the backstage door and the cold night air slapped him in the face that he finally came back to his senses.

 

"Wait, where's Taeyang?"

"He left a while ago, something about having an assignment to finish?"

"I have to go."

"Wait, Rowoon where are you going? We have to celebrate a successful opening night!"

 

He didn't pay his friend any attention and instead ran towards the library. Why he thought this was where Taeyang would be was beyond him, but he just followed where his feet were leading him and after ten minutes of searching the almost empty building he found him. The blonde hair was mostly hidden underneath a large grey hoodie and there was a pile of books on the table around him. For a second Rowoon wondered if he should disturb him since it looked like the younger really had a lot of work to do. But his feet were in charge tonight and lead him straight over to stand opposite the younger at his table.

It took a minute before he looked up and when he did Rowoon's heart clenched again. His eyes were red underneath thin wire-frame glasses and there were tear tracks tracing down his cheeks. As soon as he saw Rowoon there he stood up knocking over his chair and began stammering.

 

"Rowoon! I - I - I am so so sorry. I don't know what got i-into me I just-t - "

"Hey, Taeyang please calm down. I'm not upset, you know that right?"

"I - you're not?"

"No, no of course not. I'm just a little confused why you ran off."

"Well, I - I was afraid of what you would say to me."

"About what?"

"A-about the kiss?"

 

He had the sleeves of his jumper pulled down over his hands and refused to look Rowoon in the eye. The elder took a minute to assess his feelings right now. Sure, he was high on the emotion and adrenaline that came from a great show, but there was more to it than just that. When he looked at the blonde standing there he just wanted to see him smile. He knew how bright it was and it made his stomach turn over and his face grew warm all over. Taeyang was such a wonderful person and despite not spending a lot of time together Rowoon just knew they would get along well. So he took a deep breath and took three long steps around the table to stand right in front of the younger.

 

"I have one question, and I want you to answer me honestly, ok?"

"O-okay."

"When you kissed me; was it as Alex, or as Taeyang?"

 

The youngers breath hitched as his head shot up to meet Rowoons gaze. The glare from the overhead lights was shining on his glasses and making it impossible to see what look the younger was giving him. So, he reached out and gently removed them, finding a shine of unshed tears but also hope glimmering in the warm brown depths.

 

"I - I'm sorry."

 

Before he could say anything more Rowoon took another step closer and held one of Taeyang's hands. He squeezed it gently and smiled in a way that he hoped was reassuring. Taeyang looked him all over as if he was searching for something before taking a deep breath and saying what Rowoon had hoped to hear.

 

"It wasn't Alex kissing Daniel."

"So, if I ask can I do it again?"

 

A small nod and that was all Rowoon needed. He leaned down the way he should have done earlier and met Taeyang's lips with his own. This felt so much better than the first time because it was more than just a simple press of lips together. They both started moving in tandem and before he knew it Taeyang had his other hand wrapped around Rowoon's waist and the taller was cradling his face in his own. Time seemed to slow as they kissed, and Rowoon would have happily stayed there all night had the librarian not interrupted them with an unimpressed cough.

They sprang apart, embarrassed and apologised to the old lady who just shook her head and walked away. Taeyang began quickly packing away everything he had spread out in front of him and Rowoon just stood there frozen, unsure what to do. But when Taeyang swung his backpack onto his back he reached out and intertwined his fingers with Rowoon's again and smiled.

 

"Don't you have an assignment to do?"

"Yeah, but it's not due for like three weeks so I think I can take a night off."

"Well, that's good, because I heard there's a theatre party happening off-campus right now."

"A party without the leads? How dare they!"

 

Rowoon giggled and Taeyang smiled back, and he realised he had been right. The youngers smile truly was brighter than any spotlight on the stage could ever be.

 

It wasn't until several days later after they finished their three shows of the play with male lead Alex that Rowoon finally discovered why everyone had been so apprehensive about Taeyang taking the role in the first place - and it had nothing to do with his gender.

 

"You what?"

"Yes! Everyone in the group thought so too! I mean, you guys were basically never together and whenever you were in the same area you just gave your politest smile and that was all."

"And that made everyone think I hated him?"

"Well I mean, yeah?"

 

He couldn't help but laugh at how absurd that was. It was hardly his fault that his and Taeyang's schedules never seemed to link up and had no real reason to interact during rehearsals. But then, he couldn't help but wonder - 

 

"Wait, did Taeyang think I hated him too?"

"Umm -"

"Oh my god!"

 

The first thing he did when he got back to his apartment was storm into his room where he knew his boyfriend would be waiting for him. On the walk back he had constructed the scenario he wanted to play out and everything, but seeing the blonde lying on his bed wrapped in one of Rowoon's oversized shirts and reading a book everything left his mind.

 

"You really thought I hated you?"

 

After a discussion that was mostly punctuated by Taeyang giggling and Rowoon pouting, the coupled ended up cuddled together on the bed and sharing soft gentle kisses. Lots of people said a relationship formed in the theatre would always be full of drama, but as he lay there and watched his boyfriend's eyes flutter shut as he fought sleep, Rowoon couldn't help but think maybe it wasn't a bad thing.

After all, what would a theatre kid be without a bit of drama in their life?

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Me; should be doing literally one hundred other things
> 
> Also me; writes two SF9 fics in one day


End file.
